AFRICA: Organic Farming Could be Answer to Food Insecurity

Commercial farmers sometimes fail at organic farming because they switch over too quickly, ditching all chemicals, which is as traumatic for the soil as "a drug addict going cold turkey".

This is how Cornelius Oosthuizen, the head of the South African Biofarm Institute’s management team, explains why there are relatively few organic farming success stories in South Africa. The South African Biofarm Institute promotes sustainable and profitable biological and organic farming.

Organic produce farmers fear the rising costs of newest government food safety legislation

Organic farming worldwide is partly a product of the 1990s boom times when that market grew rapidly. But now, because of the USA's deep recession, according to the July 17th, 2009 Reuters article, "Embattled organic sector worries about regulation," some farmers are worried and/or angry about the future of organic farming due to new food safety rules emanating from Washington.

Is organic food more nutritious?

I was buying salad greens a few days ago when I overheard a woman say to her partner: "Honey, grab an organic red pepper instead. It has more vitamins." Despite being in the middle of researching this very topic, and confident that I was going to get a message to mind my own business, I refrained from launching into a debate. The truth is, the belief that organic produce is nutritionally superior to conventionally farmed is only mildly supported by scientific evidence.

Green tips for buying organic produce and bulk

Organic produce and bulk items are definitely the way to go these days. The use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers is at such a high, it is hard to fully appreciate the impact they will make on the earth and our future generations. So buying organic is not only good for you, it is good for your family and for the earth.

Organic meat is winner

FOR Shane and Ann Blundy, making the decision to switch to organic farming 16 years ago was easy. "When I was farming conventionally, the animals kept getting sick," Shane says. "The only person making any money was the vet."

Now, with 3000 lambs and 1000 cattle on their 485ha south Gippsland property, Cherry Tree Organics, the Blundys' biggest problem is how to keep up with demand.

10 top tips for organic food on a budget

As hard discounts shops continue to hammer suppliers, and organic sales flatten out does this spell the end of the organic revolution? Not at all says the Soil Association who have come out with a simple and easy to manage top ten tips for organic living without first having to have run the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Organic vs. natural a source of confusion in food labeling

At first it may seem only right for Dean Foods, the nation's largest organic dairy producer, to roll out a line of yogurts and milk marketed as "natural."

But Dean's announcement last week alarmed advocates of organic food, who say the burgeoning market for less expensive "natural" foods reaps billions from consumers while guaranteeing little or nothing in exchange.

Organic Trade Association defends organic standards

The Organic Trade Association is refuting a Washington Post article that claims the U.S. Department of Agriculture's organic standards have been relaxed, saying the article is based on "old news and urban legends."

According to the July 3 Post article, the USDA inspector general's office is investigating the USDA's oversight of private certifiers who decide what products can carry the organic label, and whether those products meet the federal organic standards.

EU report reveals pesticides in organic food

An annual monitoring report found traces of pesticides in organic food products for the first time, challenging public perceptions that organic products are free of synthetic plant protection products.

Organic growers have difficulty meeting demand, USDA reports

Demand for organic food has been outpacing the ability of U.S. farms to supply it, according to USDA economists.

Forty-four percent of organic handlers reported short supplies of ingredients in 2004, the economists said in a report on the state of the industry.

Thirteen percent of the organic companies said they couldn't meet demand for at least one of their products.

Organic means costly

You'll just set some crops and let nature take its course, right?

Oh, so wrong.

“People really don't know what goes into this,” said Anthony Owens, who grows 96 acres of apples and 41 acres of vegetables and melons in Henderson County — all organically. “My famous quote is, ‘I've learned to become part farmer, part scientist.' People don't realize that organic growing requires so much more hands-on knowledge and research.”

Organic food faces new rules

The Canadian organic industry is preparing for the long-awaited National Organic Regulations.

The organic market has long been crowded with private standards, voluntary national standards and international certifications, including the United States Department of Agriculture's certifications and the European organic certifications.

How to buy the best organic foods

Americans spent close to $28 billion in 2008 on organic edibles, up from $1 billion in 1990, according to The Organic Trade Association. And organic foods remain an area of growth even with the rising cost of grocery items and tougher economic times.

If you're fueling these double-digit sales, you likely already have your reasons for buying organic. Even so, recent changes to America's food buying habits -- the rise of the local-food movement, increased awareness about foods' carbon footprint (the amount of greenhouse gasses released when producing and transporting goods) -- may leave you wondering where organic foods fit into a better-for-the-environment equation.

10 reasons to choose organic

When you step into a shop it’s easy to feel bewildered by the sheer number of ethical, healthy, green and animal friendly options available. The great thing about organic is – it ticks every box. Simple. When you consider all the different benefits organic offers, it all adds up to genuine good value. So, why choose organic?

The Ugly Truth Behind Organic Food

Is it time for a strawberry to make a political statement, again?

I'm standing on a farm south of San Francisco that is unremarkable in that it, like all of the other farms in the area, is a golden canvas of brilliant yellow flowers with the occasional patchwork of verdant greens, early signs of this year's season sprouting up.

Obama pledges $50m for organic farming

President Obama is offering US farmers a $50 million incentive to go organic.

The US leader, who has already dug up part of the White House lawn to grow organic vegetables, has made the funds available to support organic farmers as well as non-organic farmers who are learning about organic farming methods

Beyond Fairtrade: Mars turns on to sustainable cocoa

Howard-Yana Shapiro is global director of plant science and external research for Mars, the secretive food/confectionary empire. He sports a mesmerizing long white beard, which dates back beyond a decade of corporate life to when he founded a radical organic food company, Seeds of Change. Twelve years after Seeds of Change was sold to Mars — amid cries of betrayal from some customers — Shapiro recently announced that the world’s biggest chocolate company is committing itself to sustainable sourcing of the whole of its annual cocoa bean supply, worth more than US$1 billion. The policy starts with the Galaxy bar and by 2020 will encompass not just Galaxy and Mars but also Snickers, Twix and M&Ms. The new strategy also covers environmental issues and labor, dwarfing Cadbury’s pledge that all Dairy Milk chocolate will be Fairtrade later this year.

Why organic food may be worth the extra money

Do organic products warrant the higher price tag? Scientists have finally found out that they do – because they are probably better for you.

Researchers have discovered that organically-grown Golden Delicious apples have a 15 per cent higher level of health-giving antioxidants and phytochemicals than conventionally-grown varieties.

Fake organic produce concern

MANY products sold in Australia as "organic" may soon not qualify to go under that label.

And the finger has been pointed at supermarkets for failing to properly verify whether products they sell are truly organic.

Discussions are almost complete on a national organic standard, but negotiations have split the industry as opposing groups argue over whether products from animals fed synthetic foodstuff should be labeled organic.

Organic or not?

Chances are that "naturally grown" apple you're about to eat may look organic and taste organic, but it's probably not.

Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) produce is similar to the USDA's definition of organic. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two are their labels. Both organizations prohibit synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, for example, and require farmers to pay fees, but there are significant differences in their certification.